Pawn takes Knight
by luxartisan
Summary: Colleagues to friends. Friends to lovers. The journey can take years or, maybe, just one night. Post anime only. Additional tags: Het.
1. Gambit

**Chapter 1 - Gambit  
**

By the Sibyl System's standards, the mission was a success.

Inspector Matamoru Teruko reports to the MWPSB over her wrist-com: "The culprit's crime is larceny. Crime Coefficient substantiated. Culprit surrendered voluntarily under Dominator persuasion. Motive supplied by suspect as: family duress due to loss of income after employer down-sizing. However, further investigation revealed additional criminal activity via illegal cock-fighting venture run after-hours at the thief's former place of employment."

Crime may no longer be a huge problem in Japan, but the economy is as vulnerable as ever to the whims of global power honchos who gamble with other people's money.

Matamoru's high-pitched voice continues: "Culprit's family will be taken into custody for contamination evaluation. If found clear by the Sibyl System, they will be allowed to remain in the city as wards of the state until culprit's rehabilitation is deemed complete. Successful results will allow the culprit re-entry into society. Unsuccessful results places the culprit under house-arrest, with all family members tagged as Latent, regardless of age."

Enforcer Ginoza Nabuchika listens as the report is made. He doesn't like his superior, but it's not his place to have an opinion. Moreover, the evening's events have left him somewhat tired and shaken. The scenario is far too familiar for his liking.

He remembers being evaluated at age ten. It was only because Masaoka became an Enforcer that his mother and he were allowed to stay in the city where he was born, albeit under less moneyed circumstances. He wasn't marked as a Latent, but times were still rough for the younger Masaoka, rougher still after his mother divorced and re-married the Eurasian man he thereafter called Dad, even though he took the man's family name legally as an adopted son at twelve. He's a Masaoka by birth and no paperwork on earth can change that. Nor does he want it to. Not anymore.

When Inspector Matamoru says Enforcer Sabonaki and he need to stay behind, the two Enforcers look at one another. Sabo smirks. Gino just sighs. She invites them all, as she usually does her Enforcers during a mission, to have a drink with her. It usually means she's looking for company. Enforcer Sabonaki is only twenty and randy enough to go along with whatever she plans. Gino isn't much of a drinker. Hates the stuff, actually. But going back to the Nona Tower dorm isn't appealing either, so he tags along.

Umami is busy late on a Friday night and the three people sitting in the booth look like any other patrons, but for the dark blue MWPSB windbreaker Matamoru wears. An hour of the ginger's attempts at getting Gino to go home with her have proven fruitless and she's finally called the MWPSB for another Inspector to take him back to the Tower.

"Stay put," she orders, more than a little drunk and disgruntled at being turned down for a little menáge-à-trois action. "You," she points at Sabo, "make sure he does or _you're_ ass in the sling, got it?" She slides out from beside Sabo to stand, swaying a little. "I gotta pee."

"Such a lady," the young Enforcer jibes with a chuff, gazing at the voluptuous but retreating form with longing. "But great cat-scratch."

"Which you clearly respect, eh?" _Idiot._

"A guy's gotta do what a guy's gotta do. And what's not up with you, Gino-san? She's hot."

"Our tastes differ," he says, meaning his preference in women.

"I was wondering about that. You and Kogami-san were partners, right?

Gino's eyes narrow. "Professionally speaking." _Don't even go there._

"Right, right. So don't you like women?"

If they weren't sitting on opposite sides of the booth, Gino would have punched him. He's not insulted by the question, just annoyed at Sabo's insistence on pestering him. _Same old bullshit: Koga-san and Gino-san were partners - like that? - it's likely_, even though neither of them desired anything more from one another than friendship, which they had; good and solid friendship between two very heterosexual men. _Until Ko got stupid. Well, I'm not much smarter, now, am I? What's the big deal anyway? But no, I'm not queer. Thanks for your so-called interest._

Sabo leans over the table, cupping a hand beside his mouth. "Hey, wanna run for it?" The smarmy Enforcer reminds him of Shusei, all swag all the time, except Gino likes Shusei. Correction: liked.

"That would be a waste of energy. And I believe Matamoru said it was your ass in the sling if we did, not mine. You know what that means."

"Yeah, yeah. Crap duty for a month and no pussy tonight."

"And that's the least of it. I'm going home," Gino says standing up, taking a moment to straighten his posture. _This was definitely a bad idea._

"Hey, don't you have to wait for a back-up Inspector?"

"I know one I can call." _Though I hate bothering her. She's probably as exhausted as I am._

"Oh."

Gino airpads Akane's wristlink ID.

"Ginoza-san? What is it?" comes her voice over the device.

"Akane-san, I need a ride. Are you home already?"

"Where are you?"

"Umami."

"Are you drunk?"

"Maybe."

"Don't go anywhere, ok? I'll be there in ten minutes." Gino re-takes his seat and broods as the minutes tick by. Inevitably, his thoughts turn to Akane. Tsunemori Akane - his former subordinate and now, his superior. She's forthright, honest and possesses one of the lowest Psycho-Pass readings of anyone he's ever known. He respects her, he admires her, he's in love with her and she doesn't know any of it.

Matamoru returns and slides into the booth, beside Gino this time. She rests her head on his shoulder, looking up at him, fiddling with the pull on his jacket. "Sure you don't want to join us, Nobu-kun? It'll be fun."

"Inspector Tsunemori is already on her way. I'm fine."

"Hmpf. That little bitch? Thinks she's all high and mighty now that she's Unit One Coordinator, doesn't she? Well, I've been an Inspector nearly ten years and I can lead a unit as well as anybody. But do I get the promotion after your ass is demoted? No. I get re-assigned from Unit Three to Unit Two as a subordinate to Tank and she gets promoted to UC with only a year's experience. Burns me up. Must you, too, doesn't it?"

Gino stares into the pilsner glass he's nursing. "First of all, if you think insulting me makes for good foreplay, you're wrong. Maybe Sabonaki here likes that. I don't. And second - Inspector Tsunemori is doing a good job. Leave her alone."

"Oooh. If I didn't know better, I'd say you're hung up on her, but we both know where that'll lead, don't we? The pure and pretty Inspector Tsunemori doesn't sleep with underlings, does she? Or maybe just with Inspector Kido? They seem pretty tight lately."

Gino pushes the attractive, but crass woman off his shoulder with a little more force than necessary. She smashes into the far wall of the booth. "What the fuck?" she snarls.

"Excuse me?" a soft voice sounds to their left.

_Akane._ Gino turns his head slowly. Just the sound of her voice makes him feel better, though he'll never say so. It wasn't like that in the beginning.

Back then, she was just another rookie who didn't know Paralyzer mode from Destroy Decomposer. Gino disliked rookies then and still does now- unpredictable variables in dangerous situations. In-field training takes time and energy, time he rarely had when he was the Unit One Coordinator. And Akane was emotional, sentimental.

Still, she was a quick study. She didn't rattle easily, she had good instincts and she meshed with Unit One early on. She wasn't beautiful like Yayoi or glamorous like Shion, but she'd cornered his attention. She reminded him, in fact, of someone he used to know - himself, back in the day; only she had an uncanny ability to stay sane in a job that starts to make one crazy from the get-go.

He looks at her, now, from a slanted angle and straightens his back. He's both happy to see her and ashamed of his state of being. She's been home already judging by the MWPSB Academy sweats and hoodie that she wears. Gino feels worse.

Akane looks down at the top of Matamoru's auburn head directly to her right. "I've come to bring Enforcer Ginoza back to the Nona Tower, as requested. HQ is aware of the change of plan. I take it you'll see to Enforcer Sabonaki's return?" She looks at Sabo who, all at once, is serious and conscious of his role within her presence, bragadocio stifled.

"Sure thing, babe," Matamoru says without looking up, passive-aggressive behavior in play. Akane doesn't rise to the bait.

"Then we'll be going. Ginoza-san? Shall we?"

Matamoru slides out of the booth and past Akane, pulling herself up to her full height of five-ten, half a foot taller than the UC. She looks down on the young woman in more ways than one, but says nothing to further deepen the hole she's already dug for herself.

Akane looks at up the woman, who is nearly a decade older than herself. "You will see me on Monday morning, Inspector. There are things we need to discuss."

Matamoru says nothing, but turns away as Gino leaves the booth and the restaurant with Akane. Outside, it's a mild night but Gino asks, just the same. "Cold?"

"Not exactly," Akane replies. "Let's walk a bit, huh?"

They walk side by side in silence for awhile. He has no idea how she feels about him and maybe he doesn't want to know. Just being with her is good enough, for now.

"So, just how drunk are you?" she asks, her head tipped to one side, looking up at him.

"I'm not drunk. Okay, I was buzzed about an hour ago, but I took an AmTab." The AmTab is an amphetamine-based compound that the Ministry provides to its units when they cover all-nighters or stake-outs. It keeps the senses focused when fatigued and, he's discovered, works just as well when one is a little off-kilter.

"That's not good for your blood pressure, Gino-san. You know that."

He stops and she does, too, after taking a step past him. She turns to face him and he leans down to put his face near hers. "Since when are you my mother?" It comes out a bit more sarcastically than planned. He watches her shoulders square.

"Since you decided to act like a jack-ass. What were you thinking being with her?"

"What does it matter to you who I'm with?" his volume increasing.

"It's not like you, Nobu-san." She matches him. They're arguing out loud now.

"So I'm Nobu-san, now? Are you my friend or something?"

"You need a friend. And yes, I'm one of them. Maybe your only right now, unless you want to throw everything away and be re-assigned to some nondescript unit in the boondocks."

"You'd do that to me?" _You wouldn't. Not after everything that's happened._

"You're doing it to yourself, Nobu-san." She grabs his arm, eyes pleading in a way that takes him aback. "I know what you've been through. I was there, remember? I miss them, too. But it's water under the bridge. Gone and not coming back." He searches her eyes for some answer, some clue as to how she can just set it all aside and keep her sanity and her heart intact.

The events of Bloody Night and the days that followed could not be wiped from his memory, no matter how many supplements he took or mental case sessions he endured in Isolation. Add those two lost months of his life to his current assignment and he can safely say that he's spent the last eight months enmeshed in a thought loop of self-recrimination over his father's death, Shinya's disappearance, Shusei's death, Makishima's ease in manipulating no one and everyone, his failure to lead his team effectively and his failure to understand the true state of the world according to the Sibyl System. No. No drug, no therapy, no burnt offering or intervention of any kind will ever erase the stains on his soul.

He's come to terms with it but only because of the woman beside him. She was the one who visited him every week at the Rehab Center, just to find out how he was doing; the one who made him believe that it was possible to accept things as they are without giving up faith in the justice system. He just wants to be able to find a place where he can forget it all and be Ginoza Nobuchika once more. That place would be in Akane's bed, but she hasn't offered and he hasn't asked. _Maybe I should. What's the worst thing she could do besides say 'no?' Say no and laugh._

They reach their destination in silence and he stares at the simple multi-apartment dwelling. It's a singles-only building, but his investigative talents have revealed that many of the inhabitants house a family member, friend or lover. Akane isn't one of them.

_Then why is Inspector Kido leaving the building?_ He's a rookie Inspector who's taken a distinct interest in Akane. Gino wonders if Kido has put any moves on her and bristles at the thought. The veteran doesn't see them and they watch him together until he turns the corner at the end of the block.

"What's he doing here?" Gino asks, trying to keep his annoyance under wraps.

"What does it matter who I'm with, eh?" She throws his words back at him like a dagger. "He's a colleague. He said he wanted to finish up the paperwork on a case before the weekend. I told him to stay and let himself out when he was done."

"And if you think that's all he wants, _Akane_-san, you're not as bright as I thought you were."

They fume at one another in silence, eyes locked. Finally, she says in a milder tone of voice, "What do you want from me?"

_Everything. Every breath, every taste, every inch of your skin, every thought you possess._ He's tempted to reveal something of how he feels about her, but the words stick in his throat. "I just want to talk. Just talk. That's all."

Her expression tells him that she's weighing her options: bring him back to the Nona Tower at once or let him in, feed him coffee and let him crash on her sofa. He's done it before. She always leaves early the next morning; he stays until a back-up Inspector arrives to bring him home. They never discuss it afterwards. And he never sleeps on those nights knowing she's so close by, yet so far away though it makes him feel better being there.

"Come on, then," she says, slipping her arm through his and pulling him onwards. They make their way to the 14th floor. She unlocks the door and stands aside. He slowly walks past her into a basic one-bedroom apartment.

"I owe you," he says. _More than you'll ever know._

Going back to dormitory is optional when an Inspector says otherwise and no one yet has had the temerity to say anything to either one of them at the office, innocent as their nights together may be. _And, from Sabo's comments this evening, I doubt anyone thinks anything of my crashing at Akane's from time to time. We have history, after all. _ And in their line of work, history trumps all, no questions asked.

"Slippers, please," she says moving into the kitchenette. "I'll get the coffee.

Her robo-unit greets her cheerfully and complies when Akane requests retro-Western decor causing the room to shimmer into early 21st century NoAmero-style living quarters. Gino exchanges footwear and heads to the plushy sofa offered, an incongruous piece of furniture for such a small room, but he's learned that Akane is nothing but surprises. He drops into the pillowed corner, staring up at the ceiling while his feet still rest on the floor.

"So," he says, trying to sound vague, "what's Kido-san like up close and personal?"

"What?" She turns on her heel to face him. "What kind of a question is that?" _One I need answered._

"He seems rather interested in you."

"What do you know about that?"

"You've been dating," he says cautiously, pretending to know something he doesn't; typical detective ploy he doesn't expect to work on her.

"Are you stalking me?" She sounds annoyed.

"Don't flatter yourself."

"As if," she mutters as she fills the ReGen with sufficient water and presses a button. As she watches the coffee cup materialize, she toes out of her sneakers and liners. She grabs the waiting mug, steaming hot. He doesn't think she's going to bite at his fishing expedition, but she says, "We've gone out a couple of times. We agreed we're better off as colleagues only." She walks to where Gino sits. "Here," she says holding it out to him. He sits up with a weary sigh and, without thinking, grabs the mug with his bare hand, only to set it down at once on the low table in front of him.

"Dammit, Akane! That's hot."

"Now you're sobering up," she chides shaking her head at him, a small smile tugging at her lips. Gino keeps his eyes on the eyes of the Lucky Cat that waves to him from the side of the mug, but his peripheral vision sees Akane's bare feet. She has petite toes, unpainted, clipped neatly. So like her. As simple as she is complex. And he? He is as complex as he is simple. Perfect complements in an imperfect-yet-perfect world.

"I'm grabbing a shower. Drink all of that," she warns as she stands and leaves him in the living area to head into her bedroom.

End - Chapter 1 - Gambit


	2. Critical Move

**Chapter 2 - Critical Move  
**

Akane enters her room and unzips the hoodie and heads into the bath, closing the door and grabbing her couture compact. With a press of a button, her clothing dissolves and she steps inside the shower cubicle. Voice-command activates the tempered hot water spray that washes over every pore. _What's gotten into Nobu? He's acting like a jealous suitor. Sometimes I wish he'd go back to being like he was when he was an Inspector. He didn't like me but at least I knew where I stood and I didn't worry about him. Or care. He's just so... so... annoying!_

Her body relaxes and Akane further considers the man in the other room. _He was effective as an Inspector, even if a bit rigid. I didn't understand why until I became a UC myself. The job is crazy-making, even for me. And Nobu... It can't be easy for him, thinking of Enforcers the way he does - dogs on leashes. I wonder if he still feels the same way. He's been through a lot in the last year, but so have we all._

Her learning about the Sibyl System's true identity, shocking as it was, was just another move in the chess game of Life. Now,_ Nobu is a pawn, I'm a knight, the MWPSB claims the role of bishop and the Nona Tower is the rook. As for the Sibyl System? "She" is the queen of everything, having absorbed all the wannabe kings. _

Akane knows more about Sibyl than she cares to and more than most of Japan, including her former UC. _Does that make me a collaborator?_ She despises the idea but feels responsible for ensuring that society-at-large remains in safe and blessed ignorance about the thin veneer of civilization that o'er rides the writhing chaos just below. She makes quick work of shampoo, conditioner, body soap and a thorough rinsing off, stepping out of the stall and into a thick, calf-length Turkish robe. She brushes her teeth and and heads back into the outer room, rubbing a towel through short brown locks.

Nobu is stretched out on the sofa, arms beneath his head, eyes closed - a long line of dark: dark hair, dark shirt, dark jeans, no socks. She drops her head in partial surrender, looking at the slippers side by side beside the sofa, socks tucked neatly within, his ankles crossed just off the edge of the cushions. _Presumptuous yet polite, but at least he feels comfortable here. And, _she pauses to peruse his lank body knowing it's all muscle beneath._ He does have nice feet. They say there's no correlation in foot size to other masculine attributes, but it's an interesting theory. Stop now, Aka. Oh, I am so weird. Who thinks about these things?_

"Make yourself at home, why don't you?" she says.

"Do you mind?" he asks, eyes opening and face turning to see her.

"Does it matter?" _Always following your own lead, even now. _He doesn't reply, nor is she expecting one. She sighs. _But I guess that's what makes you a good Enforcer._

She prepares a cup of herbal tea for herself and puts down fresh cat food for Yuki. As she goes through the motions, she feels Nobu's eyes on her as she often does when they're together. She steals a glance at him and when their eyes meet, she quickly turns away. She's sure he does, too. Detective instincts between two detectives. It happens more and more frequently these days. She's hyper-aware of him whenever he's near and when he is, she finds it hard to concentrate. _We're friends and friends only._

The incongruence of putting herself, Ginoza Nobuchika and the word 'friend' together isn't lost on Akane. Yet, it was Nobu himself who opened up to her, sharing himself and his story bit by bit each time she visited him in Isolation. In those two months, she watched a broken man mend himself, altering the original pattern into something similar, but different. His bitterness subsided and her admiration for his strength of character blossomed. Along with other, less admissible feelings that she refused to take seriously.

Nobu's "personal" rule about Inspectors and Enforcers avoiding relationship with one another began to make sense as the weeks after Bloody Night unfolded. She mourned her losses, then tried to keep her distance, visiting Nobu as a "concerned professional;" but she couldn't shut her heart away when she learned his personal story. Their alliance grew from there and now? Now she doesn't know what their dynamic is or what she wants from it. Ergo, it stalls in the 'friend zone.'_  
_

She requested that he be re-assigned to a different unit after their first few missions together, unable to deal with the conflicted emotions he raised in her: memories of those lost and those missing pressing around her, along with her unvoiced fear of losing him while on her watch. _I'm not a robot, after all, and the change was for the best. We can remain friends this way. It works. It's been working for the last five months. But something feels different tonight. Why?_

And then his words come back to her: 'What's he doing here? If you think that's all he wants, Akane-san…' _It can't be because of Kido-san, can it? _Evidence points to that as the source of his jealousy. Bigger question: does she want him to be? She looks down at herself. _Why on earth didn't I put on anything else besides this robe? Naiveté or subconscious calculation? Or both?_ She considers turning around and heading back into the bedroom to change into something less…less.

"Akane, why don't you have Japanese décor?" She jumps at the sound of his voice.

"I- I could. I thought you preferred this. Do you have a problem with it?"

"No. It's good, actually. I like your sofa. It's comfortable."

_Fool,_ she chides herself. _You're imagining thing_s. She heads to a generic bureau in one corner of the room and tosses a small bolster to him which he catches with one hand while sitting up.

"I know," she says. A blanket follows. It's pink and fuzzy, rather worn, with butterflies and kittens on it. He picks it up and stares at the images as though seeing them for the first time.

"Is this really yours?" he asks.

"Yes, it's really mine. You act as if you've never seen it. I've had it since I was a kid and just kept it, okay? If you don't like it, you can sleep without it."

She pushes the drawer shut and heads to where he is. She curls herself into the upholstered Windsor chair near the sofa, wrapping her robe more tightly around herself. "You said you wanted to talk." The dark-haired Enforcer remains silent. "Nobu?"

"I didn't want to be alone and I didn't want to go back to the tower."

"That's fine. You know that. Is there something else you need?"

The quiet air around them swirls with expectancy as they orbit one another like twin stars - forever together, forever apart. "No," he says at last.

"Well then, there's something I need to know." He waits. "Are you happy as an Enforcer?" _I want you to be happy._

"That's a stupid question, Akane, and you know it."

"Then answer me this: Are you happier as an Enforcer than you were an Inspector?"

He looks away from her eyes and appears to be in thought. "It's different," he says, at last, staring past her.

"Tell me about it," she says, eyes on him, arms aching to hug him. She hugs her knees instead.

He looks back at her with his quirky smile. That singular phrase is an inside joke between them. It's how she always got him to talk to her about his feelings when he was in Isolation, even as he refused to talk to the mental adjusters there. It's also where she first saw him smile, telling her about Masaoka when he was a kid and they were just another father and son sharing happier times. That's when he seems most vulnerable to her and her heart squeezes again.

"In some ways, it's easier," she hears him saying, forcing her out of her reverie. "Do the job, go home. No paperwork, no mind-numbing meetings, no dealing with higher-ups. Just taking care of business. Shinya used to tell me that the only part of being an Inspector that he actually missed was the freedom of movement. The job of being an Inspector actually sucked. His words, not mine."

"I'm sure. Do you agree?"

"Do you?"

"It has its positives and its negatives, just like anything else. I like the feeling of making a difference in the world."

"Even if that world is a sham?"

"It's not a sham. It's not perfect, but nothing is. Who's to say that any replacement system would be any better? You saw the chaos. So did I. I can't let that happen again. Not if I can prevent it in some way." Her vehemence makes him shake his head at her.

"So, you're still an altruist?"

"Yes. And you're a realist. I know that. I depend on that."

"Now you're just shining the apple, for whatever reason and for which there's no need. I respect you, Akane, and your views."

"It's mutual. I guess opposites attract." She immediately recants, "I mean, it's not uncommon for people to be friends with people who have a different perspective on things. Fills in our blind spots." She can't help the faint blush that colors her cheeks, hoping that he doesn't notice.

"Right. And we're friends," he replies in a calm manner; prone once more but on his side, resting his head on a closed fist.

"Of course. You know that."

"Ever want something more?" Her pulse jumps at his question, though she's sure he doesn't mean between them.

"What do you mean?"

"Uhh - out of life? Ever think about the future with someone?"

"Sure. One day. If the right man comes along."

"And he hasn't yet." His statement is a quasi-question.

She says it rather quickly and quietly, "Who knows? I may already know him and just can't see the possibilities. What about you?" Her lips remain pursed on her final word.

"Me? Who would want me? I'm a latent criminal, demoted Inspector, novice Enforcer. It's like baseball. Three strikes and I'm out of the game."

"Nobu, you're a good person. You're intelligent, hard-working-

"No pep talks tonight, okay? I'm not up for it." He turns onto his back and looks up at the ceiling.

"Well. Then I guess I'll go to bed. I'm tired. Good night," she says, standing up and heading towards her bedroom door.

"Tsunemori-san," he calls after her and something in his voice, the use of her surname, some remnant of the Inspector Ginoza he used to be, stops her.

"What is it?" she queries without moving.

"You asked me earlier tonight what I need." He stops. Silence.

"Do you need something else? More coffee?"

"Don't need coffee."

_No,_ she thinks. _I did not hear that edge to your voice and I am not breathing just a little quicker._

"Something to eat? You can help yourself to whatever I have." She squints her eyes shut, blushing deeply. _Bad choice of words or what? Kami, what am I thinking?_

"Don't need any of that." Her heartbeat doubles.

"Then what _do_ you need?" She sounds a little miffed but it's only to disguise her nerves.

"You."

"What?" Her exclamation is breath and surprise, but he's heard her.

"I've been thinking about this for hours trying to figure out why I got so upset when I thought you and Kido-san…you know."

"He's just a colleague." _What are you saying?_ She can't turn around and face him, her body running hot and cold as he puts into words feelings she's been sensing from him and denying within herself for months.

"That's the problem. You think of everyone as a friend. Everyone is the same to you."

"That's not true," she argues. She turns her head to one side. "And you were the one who told me that I have to be smart when working with the Enforcers. Doesn't that include you? You're in a different place now than you were before."

"You know that's crap. I'm the same man I was six months ago. The only thing that's different is that I'm not quite so, shall we say, dogmatic as I used be - no pun intended. Sibyl doesn't trust me anymore and maybe she shouldn't." His voice betrays his deepest feelings - the ones of remorse and dangerous truth.

"Don't say such things," she cautions, anxiety creating a cold pit in her stomach. "Even if you think them. Please, Nobu. Your co-efficient will rise further," and _then I'll lose you._

"Would it matter?"

She faces him then, unwilling to acknowledge the meta-conversation taking place beneath the one that's voiced, but equally unwilling to let him berate himself needlessly. "Things happen. Our job trains us to accept that, be ready for it. I've told you over and over. You're not responsible for what happened then. And you're not the same man you were six months ago. You're better. You're a better man as an Enforcer than you were as an Inspector." Her words have become impassioned even as she struggles to keep in check the emotions that are fluxing within.

"I don't know if that's a compliment or an insult, but I'll take it both ways. That's the irony of it, isn't it? When I could have had you, I ignored you and now that I want you, you won't have me."

Her expression reflects her surprise with his directness. She swallows. "I don't think you should stay here tonight, after all," she says walking straight to the entry door and opening it. _I need to think about this._

He pulls himself up off her sofa and approaches her. His height necessitates him dipping his head to look down at her, but she won't look at him.

"I can't exactly leave by myself."

"Oh. Right." She glances up, then away again. "I'll take you back." _How could I be so stupid about something so basic? _

"Your hair is wet," he says.

"I just got out of the shower."

"Don't send me away."

"This- This isn't a good idea. We work together."

"We're not at work now."

"Fraternization isn't wise. People get sloppy. People get hurt."

"I thought you said things happen."

A droplet of water runs down the side of Akane's cheek and he reaches out with a hand, index finger extended, to capture it. She looks up, her visceral reaction to his touch is clear. He's never actually put his hands on her in any way before and she's taken aback by the way it both surprises and sparks her body.

He nods then and, without warning, grabs her around her waist with one arm and pulls her against him. She inhales in surprise, but can't deny the way his assertiveness sends a flush straight through her, spiking her pulse and causing the muscles of her core to tighten against her better judgment. If she tells him 'stop' now, he will. But she says nothing.

"Akane," he whispers against her damp hair. "I need you. I want to make love to you. Tell me you don't want me and I'll go, but be honest with me."

He pulls back and she looks up into green eyes, soft with desire. He's always been attractive and now, without the eyeglasses he never needed, he's even more handsome. Funny thing. When Shinya was around, she hardly noticed Nobuchika. Shinya was awesome and cool and thought of her as his boss and nothing else. She knew her feelings for him were nothing more than a crush. But Nobu… he's changed so very much since Masaoka was murdered, since…everything.

He's come into his own and his appeal for her is based in something far more tantalizing than girlish fantasy. She genuinely cares about him, worries for him, wants to comfort and hold him. But she can't. She's an Inspector and he's an Enforcer. She doesn't have any issue with friendship, but anything more is simply too complicated.

He wraps his bionic arm around her, pulling her further upwards, until she's standing on her toes, her arms limp by her sides. Her objections are scattered like a handful of colored marbles dropped from her hand. She likes the way he feels pressed up against her body, his masculine energy penetrating her senses. He's become more feral, exciting to her and clearly his personal rule about relationship between Inspector and Enforcer is null and void.

He's still waiting for an answer. "It's not a good idea," she breathes, as if the words can banish her desires.

"I'm not asking you if it's a good idea," he whispers in return. "I'm asking if you want me to take you into your bedroom, strip you naked and bring you to orgasm with my hands, my mouth and my dick."

Her eyes widen. "Why are you being so crude?" she protests, but it's weak in the face of the way his lack of finesse is turning her on.

"Because that's what you need. I'm not a nice guy anymore. I'm not Inspector Ginoza anymore. I'm just another hound, but I can make you scream for more."

She swallows once more, her breath growing short and her blood running at full-throttle. _This is not how you should be speaking to me. Not at all._ But she does want him to take her forcibly, absolving her of any complicity in a tryst. She wants him to make her cry out and spasm around his heat. Wants to dissolve the barriers that keep them apart during the day and cling to him all night.

He reads her just as he always has. "Tell me you want me," he growls beside her ear.

"I…want-" But she can't finish because he's slammed the door shut and lifted her off her feet.

End - Chapter 2 - Critical Move


	3. Blunder

**Chapter 3 - Blunder  
**

Akane buries her face in his neck as he carries her into her tiny bedroom. Red and green lights are flashing through his mind: _What am I doing? What I should have done long ago. Taking Akane to bed. Like this? _Then it's Ko's voice in his head: _'You're fucking kidding me, right? Gino - cash in the damn V-card before the shelf-life expires. Make me proud, brother.' _

He leans over what's become a full-sized modern-frame canopy bed though he fails to notice her choice in décor unless said décor is herself. She shifts backwards towards the center, weight on her elbows. The belt of her terry robe tugs open, though not entirely, revealing the fact that she's wearing nothing beneath to him. That stops him in his tracks for a moment, though not his libido which fills in the silence by pooling his desire directly into his groin.

She watches him, breath uneven, one hand moving to clutch the gap of her garment closed. Faux moonlight spills through the window from street lamps to slant in narrow bands across the floor, breaking into patches of light and not-light as Nobu steps in its path. The air of seductive menace is still present but he stands quietly, watching.

Pinned under his gaze, he allows himself to take in the sight of her - _Akane, in her bed, nearly naked, waiting for me._ It's an image he's held countless times in his mind during self-indulgence. And now it's real. His blood runs a race through his body, pulsing with anticipation, his heart pounding.

She meets his eyes steadily, as he expects. He watches her watching him as he unbuttons the cuffs on his shirt, then every button thereafter. Pushing it off his shoulders, it slides down his back and arms until one hand is free. He grabs the limp garment with it, tugging it off his other arm, tossing it aside, leaving him bare-chested.

Her eyes widen and he swears he sees her shoulders rise and fall with a near-unvoiced sound in her throat. He holds his smile in check, but revels in the minute admission that the self-control she so carefully guards is slipping. He unbuckles his belt and lets his trousers drop over bare feet. He steps out and remains still as her eyes roam him as his do her.

He's fitter now than ever - months of intense training has turned toned muscle hard. He's stripped down to basic black low-slung briefs and nothing else. His frame is narrow and his body lithe. He isn't bulky like some Enforcers, though just as strong.

She twitches when he says, "Lose the robe," in a quiet voice that holds practiced authority. She doesn't speak, but rises from the bed and stands before him, eyes level with his chest. She undoes the robe's belt, allowing the sides to fall open revealing a portion of her slim form beneath. She leaves it at that.

His head drops to one side, eyes dropping in a long line to take her in, then rise again, a slow smile gracing his mouth. "Beautiful, as I knew you'd be," he says in a low voice and she lifts her face.

Then he runs a hand through her hair, cradling the back of her head and tipping it back with a tug. "Touch me," he says before pulling her near with his arm and dropping his head to hers. He kisses her slowly and deliberately, moving his lips over hers in kiss after kiss. Her robe rubs roughly against his skin where it gets caught between them, while her skin burns where it touches his own. Her hands slowly slide around his waist and upwards along his back, her fingers clenching and unclenching the muscles there. _Akane. Want me as I want you._

He steps her back and they break contact as they shift awkwardly onto the bed in a skirmish of limbs and lips. She chortles a bit and he licks his lips to savor her lingering taste there - _honey and sage, mint and Tsunemori. A piquant brew. What else do you taste like? _

Nobu is over her then, straddling her body, his knees on either side of her, his torso supported on his forearms, their faces parallel. She's mussed and he likes the look, especially when he's the one doing the mussing. His craving for taste wins over sight and he's only had a sample.

He wants. No, he craves more, so he takes her mouth roughly, making it his tongue's personal playground. She tastes of goodness and is good. He wants to devour her, absorbing that goodness into himself, redeeming his sins. With one hand, he roams her body with touches, grabs and sliding fingers like a kid run amok in a candy shop. Nothing is out of bounds and he can't make up his mind what to try first.

His knees move to the inside of her thighs, pushing them further apart. He lowers himself until his erect but contained cock rubs against her center, hearing her hitched breathing and whimper. The raw pleasure such contact creates spawns a deep moan from within himself.

When he was an Inspector and a man with a clear Psycho-Pass reading, he could have kept his primal desires in check. As an Enforcer and a man with a clouded Hue, however, his base desires can hold sway when emotions run high. And in a world where less consciousness of feeling is cultivated as safer for the common good, the learned skill of "managing" one's emotions is diminished, leaving latent criminal-types like himself, subject to darker and more instinctual urges.

_I am a dog, after all,_ he posits as he peels off his briefs and resettles himself between her legs. He looks between their bodies and sees the dark triangle of Akane's mound, his erect self positioned along her length. The image, coupled with need rising like a tsunami wave, pushes precum from the slit of his cock. He reaches down and uses the natural lubricant to prepare himself for easier entry.

He wants to be more considerate, but he can't wait and curses himself for his avarice. He holds himself above her as he pushes the head inside her. He moves forward slowly, but she's nervous and tight. Her cry of discomfort from beneath his chin breaks through the miasma in his brain and he stops moving, except to grab the base of his cock and squeeze to diminish the intense sensation. It brings stinging moisture into his eyes, but helps him regain control.

Akane is still, eyes closed, her hands palm-up beside her head, as if she's a criminal he's apprehending. The image resonates square in his mind. _Asshole_, he rebukes himself. _I'm acting like a sixteen year old horndog _**_or_**_ a twenty-eight year old virgin. Maybe both. _He sighs audibly.

He pulls away and she opens her eyes. He waits for her reaction to his groping. Her hand approaches his cheek and he expects a well-deserved slap. Instead, she lay it gently against his jaw, her thumb resting on his lips. "I'm not going anywhere," she says. "We have all night."

And he remembers why he loves her. Tearing himself away completely, he drops onto his back. "Why didn't you say something?"

He hears only her voice, soft with yearning. "Because I don't want you to stop. I just want to be close to you. I know it might not feel so great. It might even hurt, but I want it anyway, with you." He takes in a breath and releases it, his need for her still strong.

"Since when?" he asks because he has to know. "Before or after?" He means, of course, his hue-shift.

"Does it matter?"

He turns onto his side, supporting himself with one arm as he leans towards her. She's laying on her side, a foot or two away from him, her knees curled towards her chest, one hand under her head, but the other reaching towards him.

"It matters to me," he says his voice hoarse with emotion. "I don't need a pity-fuck."

"Nobu," she begins so quietly he can barely hear her. "It's okay if it's just about you right now."

_Maybe she's right. Get off now and get her off later. It'll be better that way. Better for who?_ "No," he says, his mind made up. This isn't how he wants her first time or any time to be remembered. He isn't even sure how sexually aware she is at all, but he knows he has to make this right for her. With so much taken away from him, he has the chance to give and maybe, just maybe, that's how he will forgive himself.

He reaches over to kiss her softly then and says, "Let's do this," before sitting up, propping the pillows on the bed together and moving until he's settled his back against them comfortably. Akane still lay on her side, seeing without understanding.

"C'mere," he cajoles and she moves towards him on hands and knees. He parts his legs and sees her hesitation. "Uh-uh. This isn't for me. This is for you." He gestures for her to come closer. "Turn around." His voice is soft and gentle and he knows he's put her off-kilter. He guides her confounded senses until she's sitting with her back to his front, nestled between his legs, his knees bent to ensconce her between, his arms wrapped around her.

"What are we doing?" she breathes.

He whispers in her ear. "Making you feel good. You want that, don't you?"

"Uhh-"

"Sex is about pleasure. Whatever that means between two people who care about each other. I want you to feel pleasure because of what I do. Is that okay with you?"

"Yes, but-"

"What? But what, Akane?" A hint of Gino-esque impatience sounds.

"Do we…care…about each other?" The room is dark and the space is quiet between them. The question is laid between them - bare and open as only Tsunemori Akane would do. And he knows she won't settle for anything less than absolute truth.

"I care." He says it simply, then simply waits, trying not to have expectations of anything at all. Trying to stay in the moment instead of analyzing every aspect. "How do you feel about me?"

"I'm a bit surprised that we're like this right now, but I can't say I don't care even if this _is_ risky." _What? _His brow knits._  
_

"Second thoughts? Now?"

"Not second thoughts."

"Sure, there are," he challenges her, an edge creeping into his voice. "You're worried that if even one person finds out that the Unit One Coordinator is sleeping with a dog, you won't be taken seriously anymore. Isn't that it?" He starts to shift backwards - tired of her vacillation, of his clumsiness, of the futility of hoping that life can still hold happiness. _At least she didn't laugh._

Her hands move swiftly to either side of his thighs, her grip stronger than he imagined it would be. "Stay," she implores.

"Chh. Not exactly a good choice of words."

"I'm sorry. I- I mean-" A pause. "I care, too."

"Then why the hesitation?"

"Because I care." She's upset, though whether with him or with herself, he doesn't know. "You, of all people, should understand that. If we care too much, we get sloppy. People get hurt. I don't want to lose any more people that I care about."

He guesses at what she's thinking. "Ko isn't dead. He's too smart for that. Kagari got caught in the wrong place at the wrong time. And my father-" His voice trails off, emotions still not fully resolved surrounding their relationship or the way Masaoka sacrificed himself for him.

"You're right about Koga-san," she says. "Just don't ask me how I know. And your father was a good man. He taught me a lot."

Nobu softly queries, "You cared about him, didn't you?"

"Masaoka-san? Sure. He helped me more than you know."

"I mean Kogami, as more than a friend."

"I thought I did. But that was before I grew up. He was my last crush, so to speak."

"So who am I? What do I mean to you, Akane? Tell me."

"Considering where we are right now, it would foolish to say I don't desire you. But it isn't just that and it isn't a crush, either."

He presses her back against one arm and kisses her before she realizes it's going to happen, pressing his lips desperately against hers. Her tongue darts out to get a taste of him, but he pulls away, allowing only their lips to touch, slowing them down. His amazement at her revelation acts as a singular aphrodisiac, making any thought of leaving vanish forever.

His lips hover over hers for a moment or two, then taste hers again, slowly, carefully. He savors the way she shifts within his arms to kiss him more fully, a hand reaching up to rake through his hair as he sweeps just the tip of his tongue against her lips. She offers her own to him and they slide and lap against one another's in a seductive dance. His skin flushes and his body responds, once more, making him feel alive and real instead of half-dead. He feels her shiver.

"Cold?" he stops to ask with a smug smile, a hand sliding beneath the robe that's twisted against her body to find her breast, cupping it beneath his hand.

"Not exactly," she mumbles.

_Best 'fess up now._ "You know, I'm really not very experienced, either."

"You don't say. So... you aren't really that tough-talker you tried to make me believe you were?"

He hangs his head a bit sheepishly. "It got your attention, didn't it?"

She gives a defeated sigh. "Indeed it did. I kinda liked it, especially what you suggested."

"Don't you think I'm capable of doing exactly what I said?"

"Word on the street is that I'll teach you more than you'll teach me."

"Who says?" he demands, masculine pride at stake.

She just snickers, so he grabs her and hitting a sensitive spot, she laughs out loud_. Aha. Weakness. _ He begins to tickle her and they wrestle until they're prone diagonally across the bed, on their sides facing one another.

"Stop, stop, stop," she begs, somewhat out of breath. "I'll tell you."

He stops, but won't let her go since her naked torso is nicely pressed against his and it feels incredible. "Who?"

A upwards ripple of laughter precedes her saying, "Yayoi and Shion." She manages to keep a straight face.

His surprise is evident on his face. "And just when did your little girls' club discuss my sexual prowess?"

"We're not a club and we're not little girls," she informs. "It just happened to pop up in conversation."

"How the fuck does something like that come up in conversation_?" Women are worse than men._

"Long story. I'll tell you about it some time. But not now."

"Why not?"

"Because," Akane says, watching her finger as it traces the outline of his mouth, then lifting her eyes, "there's something else I'd rather we be doing?" She rubs herself against him so that her breasts tease his chest and one leg hitches over his hip, regressing the speech portion of his brain to a monosyllabic grunt. "Seems to me," she murmurs, her face just below his, "that someone promised something to me. I don't like people who break promises."

"I am a man of my word."

"Prove it," she challenges with a sly smile.

He doesn't need to be a detective to read her present state - relaxed, aroused, and willing. Or his own, a slow, sexy smile being only one indication.

_I have the woman I love in bed, naked, with me. And this time, I'm not going to mess it up. And I will make her scream. Maybe even twice._

End - Chapter 3 - Blunder

**A/N: Thank you to those who have reviewed, favorited and followed. End Game in sight and soon.  
**


	4. End Game

**Chapter 4 - End Game**

Akane feels drunk and out of control and, for once in her life, doesn't care. Nobu's arm is around her waist, the terry fabric of the robe she still wears soft yet rough against her skin where he applies pressure. His other hand is hot upon her breast where it flexes, or she's hot beneath it. Either way, sensations are fluxing through her she's never gotten from her own touch; her limited experience with men insufficient to provide a cache of worthwhile data.

She pushes herself upwards into his embrace with her knee, seeking leverage of any kind to regain some semblance of control. Her hands want to touch him too; every inch of him, places where daylight conceals. So much skin between them and she's heady with the realization. _This is really happening and I want it. I want him. Why didn't I see that before now? _She prods him onto his back, a pillow tumbling onto the floor beside the bed as she lay her torso atop his, save for her bent leg, planting soft kisses on his mouth, his chin, trailing down to his neck. His hands are beneath her robe, fingers skating across her lower back, then lower to caress the rise of her buttocks.

"What are you thinking, Inspector?" he murmurs into her damp hair, an amused tone in his voice.

She lifts her head to look into his eyes, her words somewhat serious, as if she needs to remind him of something he's forgotten. "What you said to me, once; after you came back. 'The criminal we face is nothing,' you said, 'compared to the thief called Time." His hands stop momentarily, and she feels his chest rise and fall with a hum of remembrance. "I don't want to waste any more time." She reaches up and their mouths merge in a kiss, deeper and longer than before. _Want you. Need you._

Still joined, Nobu rolls her onto her back, her head close to the edge of the mattress and tipped slightly downward, making her a little dizzy. He pulls back and moves downwards, dropping a light kiss on each breast before focusing attention on one, darting his tongue around the nipple, teasing her with the edges of his teeth. He hears her soft moan and repeats the action with the other.

She runs a hand through his hair, dark and thick and smooth to the touch. _It's odd_, she thinks, somehow still able to think. _To know how it feels touching him as he touches me._ She wants to know what the rest of him feels like, but she's pinned and unbalanced, her body beginning to liquefy but weighted down by the robe she now wishes she'd shed completely. She struggles to get her arms out and he stops only long enough to pull her torso from the bed with one arm supporting her back from underneath, allowing the offending garment to fall from her shoulders and down her arms of its own accord. She's limp in his arms_. Do as you will. I don't care.  
_

With her arms freed, she reaches up and locks them behind Nobu's neck. She captures his upper lip between hers and allows herself to fully experience the moment. The way he tastes: like beer and mint and only him; and the way he feels: his mouth soft, warm and wet as their tongues tease and slide against one another, the sensations they create working magic on the rest of her body, loosening all of her muscles and readying her for more than the penetration of his tongue into her mouth.

He eases her down, her robe flung - somewhere, her head now resting in the crook of his arm, the fingers of his free hand tracing up and down her ribs, edging lower and lower, leaving a trail of fire wherever they linger. His eyes are watching his hand on her and she lets her own gaze follow. He's ready for her once more and she wonders how she'll accommodate. A fretful sound voices itself.

He looks back up and catches the angle of her gaze. "I can't believe I'm actually saying this, but…we don't have to go all the way all tonight, as long as you're okay with the idea of us doing this again."

"Aiming for a second shot before knowing if the first one's hit the mark?" she teases before a sudden gasp escapes her, his hand sliding between her legs to fondle her.

"Just keeping the lady happy. I was told that's good practice." He quirks a brow at her.

"This...mmm...from the man who could- oh, that's good - hardly wait a while back. You're...amazing...uhhh...and as contradictory, as ever, Nobu," she fusses. He doesn't answer. "Who gave you this advice?"

He looks away for a bit, a half-smile on his face. "Shuusei. He was a funny kid."

"Funny, but reckless."

"So is this, but I want it. I want you, Akane."

She blushes in the dark at his blatant words of desire, something Inspector Ginoza would never do, but that Enforcer Ginoza does. _And I don't mind one bit,_ she thinks, pushing off her inhibitions as her blood runs hotter and her body shivers from his attentions.

"I want it, too - it's just…"

"Just?"

"I didn't think you'd be so…gifted."

And that's when Ginoza Nobuchika laughs. Mirth is something she's never seen in him, but then so much has changed for them both in the last eight months, in ways neither of them could have predicted. And his less restricted emotions, while expected in the field, is a surprise here. He's left himself open to her, trusts her. Finally.

She's seen male bodies before, usually clothed and sometimes deceased, but not one this alive and warm and ready to do what kami intended. She reaches between them and takes him in hand. He stops all movement to take in and release a shuddered breath, reaching up to stroke her hair. She runs her hand in curiosity over his cock, memorizing its shape, the ridges, and the way it feels. He watches the way she touches him, his eyes wide with arousal.

_It's impressive_, she thinks, and then chortles to herself.

Nobu rasps, "Please don't do that when your hand is around my dick. Guys get complexes over things like that."

"You've no reason for that. You're beautiful. I mean, I'm rather naïve about a lot of things. I know that, but-"

"Uh, could we discuss this another time? 'Cause right now I'm finding it difficult to concentrate on stringing words together."

"I'm sorry," she says with genuine concern. He chuffs.

"Don't be sorry. Just make up for it."

"You'll have to show me."

"No problem," he growls, placing his larger hand over hers and guiding her touch.

His groans are fascinating to her. Seductive and surprising and uniquely his. She'll never hear him speak again without hearing them in her mind. But then, he suddenly stops moving their hands.

"What is it? Am I doing something wrong?" she says, worry in her visage as she looks up from her task.

He shakes his head, his breath continuing in small pants through his words. "No, no, no, no, no. But if we go on much more, I may lose it again and that's not the plan."

"No?"

"We can continue with lessons another time, but right now, I want to bury my head between your legs and make you feel something you can't do for yourself."

"What?" She's incredibly turned on and incredibly annoyed.

"I know you've touched yourself, Akane," he reproves. "No woman is that self-disciplined, but let's see which you prefer."

"No-bu," she says, with emphasis on the last syllable. She's aroused and annoyed and a little embarrassed at his effrontery. But mostly, aroused. Throughout their verbal exchange, he's been sliding down alongside her body, until his head is resting on the inside of her thigh. Her other leg is bent at the knee.

The tickle of his hair against the tender skin there sends quivers throughout her body, as her lower extremities tighten and she feels liquid heat pooling and seeping through her folds. She doesn't know what to expect, but she knows what she wants. His touch on her - there - somehow - right now.

Her skin blushes pink and rose with anticipation as she waits, his breath hot against her waiting flesh. _What are you doing? This is no time for window shopping. Please, do something, now._ She nudges her hips just a smidge towards him. His growl vibrates against her body and she's equally irritated and amused at his reaction.

And then she feels the tip of his nose nudge against her and she mewls her distinct pleasure at the sensation. _So-o_ different than her own fingers or anything else she might find helpful in getting herself off. _This is someone else doing this to me. A man I care about. A man who is, dear kami, using his tongue to taste me. A_ll rational thought in the very rational Tsunemori Akane shuts down.

Her breaths are mixed with soft vocalizations of pleasure as he teases and taunts the hardening bud of her center. When his fingers find their way inside of her, providing counter-pressure to his mouth's steady attentions, she groans in spite of herself. Her exhalations only serve to incite his actions to greater fervency. It's like nothing she's ever felt before, sheer delight yet still not enough.

Her body tenses and coils rapidly, all sensation locked within a tiny bundle of nerves that begs for release. He curls the fingers inside her so that his thumb is by his chin. He alternates his teasing and suckling with intervals of his thumb circling hard upon her, her back arching in response to his actions, her hips moving to find this particular rub of pleasure or that unique spark on her skin. Her body is flexing like a bow under his control and she's grasping at the bedsheets.

Steady, hard breaths fill her lungs with the oxygen she needs to sustain awareness, her body alight everywhere with heat she knows he can feel radiating off of her. She's completely absorbed by sensation, focus intent only on gratification, when she feels the tipping point of orgasm.

When it's only herself, it fills her and dissipates. But now, with his continued stimulation, she rockets past the simple crest into more intense pleasure that carries her along like an unstoppable wave. Her cries are involuntary. She can't take it for more than a few extended, glorious seconds and then she pulls his hair upwards by the roots to gain his attention.

"Enough," she pants. "Please, no more. I can't...keep up. I..can't."

He stops and with a hard exhalation of his own, sweeps his hand across his mouth to taste her on his fingers. He moves up her body quickly, repositioning himself as he was before, this time entering her slowly, but steadily, past her cry of discomfort even as her spasms still ripple through her.

His head is above hers. He leans down and says beside her ear, "Bite me through any pain." She curls her arm around his and does, hard and steady against his bicep until she tastes copper and she knows she's broken skin.

oOoOo

It doesn't matter to Nobu. He's too immersed in finding his rhythm within her tight, untried channel; friction acting as an imperative as well as the sights and sounds of the woman below him, her legs now wrapped around his torso, her hands clutching his back, sliding with the sweat that sheens them both. _Sweet goddess of mercy. Why the fuck did I put this off for so damn long? Feels…so…good._

Akane's mouth laves and sucks at the bruise she's given, providing milder, secondary sensations that will surely leave a mark. No matter to either of them. And then he is lost, just as she was. He's not vocal. Instead, he harnesses his energy into maintaining ecstasy, holding his breath to lessen the flow of oxygen to his brain for as long as he can, releasing it in a long, slow "ahhh" that seems to go on forever, his body growing more and more relaxed as air is expelled, until there is nothing.

He's spent. He takes in a great breath then releases before shifting onto his side next to her, mind empty of everything. Everything. _Best therapy in the world,_ he thinks to himself before losing consciousness.

When next he opens his eyes, Nobu expects to be alone, on his cot at the Nona Tower. The first clue that he's not is the scent of vanilla and freesia. He hadn't noticed it last night but there it is. The bed is comfortable, too. He lifts the edge of the pillow off his face and the corner of his mouth twitches upward. He's still in Akane's bed, sheets rumpled around his body, Akane facing him, sleeping soundly. _So it wasn't a dream._

He's managed to steal most of the bedcovers so she's naked but for a tumble of cotton that lay across her abdomen and thighs. He props his head on his hand and simply watches her. Her hair is mussed and her face is without makeup. _Not that she needs any._ The skin of her throat is so pale, he can see the blue veins that run just beneath the surface down her chest, branching into her small but adequate bosom. _Enough for me. What was it Shuusei said? More than a mouthful is too much, anyway? He was right._

Thinking about how he felt inside Akane's body induces a soft groan, tempting him to wake her so they can indulge his newest addiction once more. He runs his tongue over his teeth. _Ugh. Not before I'm a little more presentable. Under cover of dark is one thing, but daylight quite another._

He gets up feeling rested for the first time in ages. Naked, he pads into the postage stamp bathroom. Akane's robo appears. "Go away," Nobu scolds the perky machine, which retreats at once. He takes in a mouthful of water from where it runs from the faucet into the basin and spits before running a wet finger around his mouth. Not great, but it'll have to do. Modern sartorial techniques and the Ministry's dress code have made facial hair a non-issue. The headache in his frontal lobe is minor compared to others he's had after taking an AmTab. And he's strangely hungry even though he never ever eats breakfast.

He looks at Akane sleeping and decides not to disturb her. _ Sleep, like sex, is a blessing, indeed._ He re-dons his clothes from the previous evening and makes his way to Akane's kitchen. The robo unit reappears asking about breakfast. He lets it make the decision for him based on his gender, age, height and weight.

"Robo, can you do more than prepare food or spiff up the décor?"

"I am capable of producing items you need provided their molecular structure is encoded in my memory and I possess a sample of organic matter similar in nature," Robo says.

Nobu hands the unit a square of diced green onion from his miso cup. "I want a rose - red, long stem, no thorns." Within less than a minute, Robo places the flower on the counter. "Thank you," he says picking up the perfectly formed bloom.

He heads back into the bedroom, reluctantly covers Akane and leaves the flower beside her, imagining what the others would say if they knew anything of what's transpired between them and especially, to see him play against type. _I just never met a woman who deserved it the way she does._

Back in the living room, he calls the Nona Tower and requests a pick-up from Akane's address.

oOoOo

Akane's eyes open slowly, sensing at once that she's alone in her bed. Then she spies the rose. She smiles as she gives a long feline stretch and sits up, clutching the sheet around her body.

Her robe is tossed half-way across the room and two of the four bed pillows are on the floor. Nobu's clothing is gone which means he's already awake. The apartment is secured so he can't just leave, but something tells her that he isn't in her home.

She gets up and throws on the robe, heading into the living area. Nobu is nowhere to be found. A momentary flash of fear courses through her as she recalls the way he once chastised her for allowing Kougami to get beyond her reach, thinking he'd escaped the Ministry's hold. _Has he done the same? Did he set all this up just to do this to me? But the rose?  
_

The sting of hot tears burn her eyes at the thought of betrayal. Then she notices the light flashing on her home-com unit signaling an FYEO urgent message from HQ. She releases it and the message appears at eye-level.

**Inspector Tsunemori,**

**Thank you for an excellent case review last evening. Your investigative skills and analysis of the situation continue to surpass my expectations. If you wish to discuss further, I am available. Robo let Inspector Kido into your apartment as a member of the MWPSB. He seemed out of sorts. Guess he doesn't like working Saturday mornings. Rookies.  
**

**Enforcer Ginoza**

She shakes her head, the tears that squeeze from her eyes being those of relief. And then she chuckles imagining the conversation, or lack thereof, between Inspector and Enforcer as they headed back to the Nona Tower. She punches a text back to Nobu:

**I do have a few ideas I think you'll want to hear. Just a hunch, but detectives are all about hunches, aren't they? I'll be at the front of the Nona Tower at six. Be on time or don't be there at all. I'll accept your choice.**

She sends the message FYEO, just as he did, impatient to know what lay ahead for them, if anything. _Maybe he'll be the one with morning-after second thoughts. _As she eats her breakfast, the home-com unit signals a new message which she rushes to read.

**Has this stray found a home?**

Her mouth twists at his ironic self-deprecation. _I could smack him. Or kiss him. It's one or the other and I suspect it'll always be that way. Did I just say always? _She texts the Enforcer:

**Do you want one? If so, I think we can work something out.**

She sends, then second-guesses her decision. _Is it too much too soon? C'mon, Akane. He asked. You answered._ Within minutes, she knows his heart.

**Koibito*, see you at six**.

_What am I going with you, Ginoza Nobuchika? And how are we going to manage this? Ohhh, just wait 'til I get you home. _She leaves her trash for dis-integration and heads back into her bedroom to dress saying, "Robo? I need a bud vase with warm water and 500 milligrams of acetylsalicylic acid, please." And there, in the privacy of the sacred space of her bedroom, she remembers and smiles._  
_

End - Chapter 4 - End Game

**A/N: *The best English equivalent I could find is "sweetheart or lover." Seems both IC and OOC for Nobu, at this point, depending on your ship. Hope you enjoyed my head-romp for this pairing. Been an advocate from Episode One and never had *second thoughts.* Y'know, if you had told me fifteen years ago that one day I'd post online an extended erotic vignette between two futuristic Japanese detectives in a dystopian society, I'd have said, "There's no f'n way." But look, here it is! Damn. I can't wait to see what I write fifteen years from now. To paraphrase: I'll give you my keyboard, stylus, pen, whatever humanity is using to write, when you pry it from my cold, dead hands. ;D **


End file.
